Liz Truss insists she will 'pay for missing items' from luxury government house after being billed £12,000
1 May 2023, 07:23
Liz Truss has said she will pay for any items that have gone missing from a luxury government country house she had access to during her time as foreign secretary.
Ms Truss has been billed around £12,000 by the Cabinet Office for missing items from Chevening House, but the ex-PM has said she will fight the bill and has demanded an "accurate invoice".
A number of luxury items are said to be missing from the 115-room country house, including bathrobes and slippers.
The £12,000 bill covers the time Ms Truss spent there while she was planning to replace Boris Johnson as leader of the Conservative Party.
Ms Truss has insisted that the majority of items on the bill, including food and drink, relates to government business, arguing that she is not liable for the bill.
"Liz always paid for the costs of her personal guests at Chevening," said her spokesman.
The spokesman added: "It would be inappropriate for her to pay the costs for officials as it would have breached the civil service code for civil servants to accept hospitality during the leadership campaign.
"She has therefore asked for this to be billed separately."
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Chevening House, which foreign secretaries are handed the keys to when they take over, is located among 3500 acres in Kent.
It was left to the country in 1967 by the 7th Earl Stanhope and has been used by the foreign secretary since 1981.
A government spokesperson said: "Costs and funding relating to Chevening House are a matter for the Chevening Trust."
